Olympic champion Anthony Joshua hopes his fight with fellow London heavyweight Dillian Whyte on Saturday night is just another step of a glittering career.

The London 2012 gold medallist has 14 knockouts from 14 professional fights and takes on Whyte, who has 13 KOs in 16 bouts and beat Joshua in an amateur contest in October 2009.

Joshua could emulate Lennox Lewis, who won Olympic gold before going on to become undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, but he does not wish to get ahead of himself.

"I'd love to go that far (but) I don't want to say 'I'm going to do this'," Joshua said.

"But yes, that would be a great path to follow. Whether I am going to do it or not, what the future holds... let me get past Dillian first.

"That'd be the British title, then I can crack on and I'd have two more belts to get, which is the European and then the heavyweight championship of the world.

"Then I can tell you I've done it and achieved the same as Lennox Lewis. He was the last undisputed heavyweight champion.

"I think the path's really open now. People used to tell me years ago 'the division's wide open'.

"I never got it, but I can really understand what direction it's going in now."

Promoter Eddie Hearn says Joshua is the complete package, but could yet come a cropper against Whyte.

Hearn told Press Association Sport: "Anthony Joshua, I believe, will be the biggest star British boxing has ever had. But in heavyweight boxing anything can happen.

"And if he takes one flush on the chin from Dillian Whyte on Saturday night during the exchange, it could all be over. That's why the stakes are so high.

"With Anthony you have the entire package. The ultimate fighter, the ultimate athlete, the ultimate personality, the ultimate role model. As a promoter I've never seen or worked with anyone who even comes close in comparison.

"For Anthony Joshua, I want him to be in a position to challenge for world titles next summer and Dillian Whyte is the perfect test to see where he's at.

"A lot of guys he has fought have come in with some ambition, but Dillian comes in with the belief he can beat Joshua and knock him out. He'll put it on him. He won't fold in the ring. He could get knocked out, but he won't fold.

"This is a good fight to see where Joshua is at in his world championship progression."

If WBO, IBO and WBA heavyweight champion Tyson Fury beats Wladimir Klitschko in their rematch, there could be a best of British showdown with Joshua.

"It's a massive fight down the line," Hearn said.

"Win or lose against Klitschko for Fury the Joshua fight is huge. We hope by the time that fight comes around we'll be close to challenging for our own world title.

"It would be great to make that fight a unification fight for multiple belts."

Whyte reckons he is more than capable of upsetting Joshua once again.

"His heart is a bit weak and I have a heavyweight heart," Whyte said.

"With most big guys, when you put it on them in life a lot of them crumble and fall under pressure. They're used to being the biggest in their class. When somebody stands up to them, puts it on them, in history a lot of them crumble.

"I'm looking to destroy this man."